OWATONNA, MN – Harmony Area Community Foundation (HACF) is pleased to announce the award of a $10,000 grant from Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) to the Harmony Area Historical Society (HAHS). The grant is supported through a special 30th Anniversary Community Collaboration grant round and will fund the Society’s “Historical Walking Tour” project. The Historic Walking Tour will consist of six or more kiosks placed throughout Harmony. Each kiosk will have pictures, stories, and other historic information about the adjacent or nearby buildings or sites. This project will be completed through collaboration with Harmony Lions Club, HACF, Chamber of Commerce, Fillmore Central Schools students, City of Harmony, and interested members of the community.
According to Harmony Area Community Foundation board chairman and city of Harmony Mayor Steve Donney, “HACF is excited to have facilitated this grant for the Historical Society. We are also committed to providing further funding as needed to complete the project, including additional kiosks. Special thanks are given to Vicky Tribon, past HACF Chair, for her vision and leadership on this grant project, and Mary Lou Zombory, HAHS secretary; Marvin Wicks, and Sharon Storhoff for their efforts in planning, guiding, and working toward the future completion of this project. Most importantly thanks to the countless hours of donated time from the other Harmony Area Historical Society members to make this project a reality.”
Vicky Tribon added, “This historical project will support Harmony’s vision of community vitality by providing community pride for our residents and also will provide another tourist opportunity activity by showcasing Harmony’s history. As with so many historical projects, we need to tell the stories of those who came before us. Their trials and accomplishments have made Harmony what it is today — they have left a legacy to be proud of and to not record this history and share it with not only our immediate area but also with those visiting our community and future generations would be a travesty.”
SMIF is an economic development community foundation serving a 20-county region. It announced the special grant round at its 30th Anniversary Luncheon in October. Grants of up to $10,000 were made available to SMIF’s 23 Early Childhood Initiative coalitions and 26 community foundations to either initiate or deepen a collaborative project.
“Over the years, one of SMIF’s most successful collaborative initiatives has been seeding and supporting new community foundations to enable communities to retain philanthropic dollars at a local level and invest in new community projects,” said SMIF President and CEO Tim Penny. “Another collaborative success is forming Early Childhood Initiatives (ECI), which are cross-sector coalitions intended to address early childhood needs within communities.”
The shared grant criteria between Early Childhood Initiative awards and community foundation awards was that projects must contribute to community vitality through collaboration. “We know that more can be achieved together,” said Penny. “As much as possible through our grantmaking, we want to help communities align various efforts and groups toward a shared goal or vision.”
In all, SMIF awarded $94,000 to 10 Early Childhood Initiative communities and $103,000 to 11 community foundations. For a full listing of grantees and project descriptions, visit SMIF’s website at www.smifoundation.org.
HACF’s mission is “To serve the Harmony area by supporting projects which improve the quality of life and build a stronger community.” HACF’s focus areas include Fillmore Central Schools, public library, arts and history, parks and trails, health and environment, and community support and growth. More HACF information is available at www.harmonycommunityfoundation.com or www.harmonycommunityfoundation.org. Like us on Facebook.
HACF will host its fourth annual Swing Into Spring fundraiser on April 1 at Wheelers Bar & Grill. The public is invited to join in for a roaring ‘20s-themed evening of fun. For tickets, or more information about the Swing Into Spring event, or pledging to the Harmony Area Community Foundation, please contact Steve Donney, Chair, at stdonney@gmail.com or (507) 951-4320 or any other board member of Harmony Area Community Foundation, PO Box 342, Harmony, Minn. 55939.
www.harmonycommunityfundation.org.
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in the 20 counties of south central and southeastern Minnesota. The foundation has provided more than $100 million in grants, loans, and programming within the region during the past 30 years. SMIF’s key interests include early childhood, community and economic development. To learn more about our work and mission, visit www.smifoundation.org.
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